Doom Novels - Differences

Differences

There are a number of notable differences between the games and the novels.

• In the games the Doomguy has no name. id software's unused design document, The Doom Bible, suggested the name Buddy Dacote ("Dacote" standing for "Dies at conclusion of this episode").

• The demons are creatures genetically engineered by the Freds, and are not actual demons from hell. In addition, the Marines do not travel to an actual Hell at any point in the novels.

• The background of the series is that of an intergalactic war fought at sublight speeds, of which Earth is the site of an almost insignificant conflict.

• In the game, Doomguy can carry 50 rockets, in spite of them being quite large. In the books, the rockets that Fly picks up as ammo for his personal rocket launcher are the size of small batteries, allowing him to feasibly carry 50 of them.

• In the first book, Fly personally encounters and uses all of the weapons and items featured in the Doom game, but the first book also takes liberties by introducing additional weaponry, such as various types of rifles and pistols. Fly's weapon of choice through much of the novel is a "Sig-Cow" rifle.

• In the game, imps (also referred to by the name 'spiny' in the novels) are demonic and are able to conjure fire from their hands to use as missile weapons. In keeping with the book's more science fiction theme, the imps in the book possess a napalm-type mucus that they spit into their hands and throw. Much later, i.d. Software used this idea for the imps in Doom 3.

• Likewise, the Barons of Hell (called 'Hell Princes' in the book), large minotaur-like goatmen, conjure green flames with their hands to hurl at the player, while the book describes them as using wrist-mounted plasma launchers.

• In the game, Lost Souls are most likely just that; souls damned for eternity, appearing as flying, horned, flaming skulls. In the book (in which they are named 'Flying Skulls'), to keep with the science fiction theme, they are instead mechanical skulls with rocket engines attached to them.